The Heavenly Maiden Lotus Flower Art
Dan Jua.
The Young Leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
She was a prodigy who had reached the Peak realm at the youngest age in the history of the entire Murim.
Some rumors even whispered of something more.
They claimed she had already shattered the wall leading to the realm Beyond Peak.
Such a feat should have been impossible for someone her age.
Thus, most dismissed it as mere hearsay, but...
'My mind has been tampered with.'
Dan Jua had arrived at Cheonlim Academy roughly three weeks ago.
Since then, a strange sense of dissonance had plagued her.
It affected her actions.
It crept into her thoughts.
She felt an external interference pulling at her mind.
She had likely fallen victim to some form of brainwashing or hypnosis.
That was the conclusion Dan Jua had reached.
'There is no disruption in the flow of my qi... This is likely not any spell or qi technique known to us.'
'Now that I think about it, Elder Gwak once mentioned that such arts existed in the Western Regions...'
While continuing her daily life at the academy, Dan Jua had constantly analyzed this bizarre dissonance, searching for loopholes in the rules.
Her efforts had yielded some success.
She managed to break the hypnotic shackles that prevented students from damaging academy property or causing harm.
She had successfully destroyed a Care Unit in her room.
But that was as far as she got.
Ultimately, she failed to completely strip away the hypnotic curse.
Despite her status as the Young Leader of the Demonic Cult, she was captured.
What followed were days of torment, her body and brain subjected to increasingly intense hypnosis day after day.
It was during this dark period that Dohwa found her.
What is martial arts?
What is chivalry?
My Master used to ask me those questions often.
.
.
.
"They say one can meet Buddha even in hell," a voice echoed.
"Are you the Buddha who has come to save me? What a truly lovely Buddha you are."
Inside the Reflection Room, a woman hung suspended by heavy chains.
"..."
"Why do you stand there so blankly? Since you are here, I would appreciate a bit of help," she said.
"..."
"...I see. You, too, have fallen victim to that man's sinister arts. I suppose I cannot expect any aid from you. But if that is the case, why did you come all the way here?"
Her voice carried a tinge of disappointment.
I didn't quite understand what she was talking about.
I simply stared at her—at Dan Jua.
This was Dan Jua, the Young Leader of the Demonic Cult.
She had caused trouble and ended up locked in the Reflection Room.
Violating the rules was a grave offense.
One must not break the school rules.
If you break the rules, you must be punished.
So, it was only natural that she ended up in this state.
It couldn't be helped.
"...What happened here?" I asked.
"What happened, you ask... Well, how should I put it?"
Lady Jua spoke with a light chuckle, as if it were nothing of consequence.
"I was simply being tormented. As you can see, it is hard to imagine anything decent happening to someone in this state."
- What is martial arts?
- What is chivalry?
- Dohwa, what do you think?
"..."
The school rules.
Do not destroy school property.
Destruction results in corporal punishment.
The Dean's word is absolute.
The rules must be followed at all costs.
- Chivalry is protecting the weak.
- Protecting women and children.
- Standing on the side of the tormented.
- And never ignoring the voice of those who cry out for help.
"If you are hypnotized as well, you won't be of any help... Well, at least you can keep me company..."
"Ask me to help you," I interrupted.
"?"
"Please, tell me to help you."
At my words, she stared at me blankly.
Then, she let out a scoffing laugh, as if dumbfounded.
"Ha! You want me... the Young Leader of the Sect, a prodigy, to beg for help? Like those common fools?"
"..."
"Haha, hahahaha."
Her laughter was dry.
But it died down quickly, and she looked at me, her face still holding a faint smile.
"Yet... you are entirely correct. If I remain like this, I will only be disposed of helplessly."
"Or my brain will be molded until I spend the rest of my days as that man's puppet."
"Therefore, I shall ask."
With a complex look in her eyes, she spoke to me.
"Help me."
And so, I drew my sword and swung.
I don't know anything about Murim.
Nothing about martial arts.
Nothing about chivalry.
Nothing at all.
To me, Murim was just like Star Wars or something.
That was the extent of my understanding.
'I mean, swinging a sword that shoots beams is basically the same thing.'
Slicing through rocks and metal like butter.
Flying through the sky (well, technically leaping as if flying).
Isn't that what it is?
So to me, Murim was something distant.
A fantasy.
An ideal.
An illusion.
That kind of thing.
That was why I didn't know Murim.
- That cannot be.
- No matter where you are, or where you lived.
- There is no way you do not know martial arts and chivalry.
But my Master had told me otherwise.
- It does not matter if you do not realize it now.
- The journey of understanding it is what martial arts is.
- However...
- This is my request as your Master.
- I hope that my disciple...
- Will never ignore the voice of those who ask for help.
- Will not abandon those who are tormented.
- Will protect women and children.
- And will do everything in your power...
- To help them.
- That is this Master's wish.
.
.
.
We emerged from the Reflection Room.
It was less of a reflection room and more of a prison.
Or a laboratory.
They called it "just punishment," but it was nothing of the sort.
Unjust, evil torture was taking place here.
'Dean Gran.'
My thoughts were still a jumbled mess.
I didn't know why she was subjected to this, nor did I fully grasp what he had done to me.
Even so, my disorganized mind reached one clear conclusion.
The root of all this evil was undoubtedly that man.
He could not be left to his own devices.
He had to be eliminated.
Because I was Yeon Dohwa, the disciple of my Master.
"...!"
As we stepped out of the Reflection Room, a group of figures approached from the far end of the corridor.
They were likely security robots.
I also spotted the maid I had tied up earlier.
How did she break free?
I had used an item bought from the Shop, after all.
"Lady Jua, can you run?"
"Of course. You need not worry about me."
"Can you fight?"
"To some extent with my fists and feet. A sword would be ideal, but wishing for that would be a luxury."
If that was all she needed, it was simple enough.
I opened the Shop window and purchased a decent-looking sword, along with a robe to cover her body.
The sword and clothing materialized in the air right before my eyes.
I handed them to Lady Jua.
"...Good heavens. Are you a sorcerer?" she gasped.
I didn't bother explaining in detail.
'It's not like I can tell anyone about the Status Window anyway.'
At any rate, we were ready.
All that was left was to break through.
I gripped my drawn sword tightly.
I circulated the energy throughout my body.
"Here I go."
Stamping my foot, I charged straight into the oncoming crowd.
Boom!
With a powerful stomp, she leaped forward.
Leaving a thunderous roar in her wake, Lady Dohwa had already soared far ahead.
'...! Incredible...!'
The burst of speed she displayed in that single instant was faster than anything Dan Jua could manage.
Her transition into the offensive, the forms she executed with unwavering sword qi, and the martial intent embedded within them were all magnificent.
But what surprised her most of all was the peach-colored true qi rising from the young lady's entire body.
"...Heh, I cannot afford to fall behind."
Flutter.
Screeech—
She hastily threw the robe over her shoulders, slipping only her arms through the sleeves, and drew the sword she had been given.
The weapon was an unbelievably high-quality masterpiece.
Even to Dan Jua, who had seen countless famous blades, this sword was an exceptionally rare treasure.
With purple sword qi rising along the blade, Dan Jua leaped toward the crowd ahead.
She moved at a speed rivaling Yeon Dohwa's, yet with far greater silence and composure.
.
.
.
Yeon Dohwa had learned two martial arts.
One was the Moon Shadow Sword, and the other was the Heavenly Maiden Lotus Flower Sword.
However, the Heavenly Maiden Lotus Flower Sword carried a distinct problem.
The more she used it, the worse its side effects became.
Once Dohwa realized these side effects, she had sealed the technique away.
Learning the Moon Shadow Sword was partly to replace it.
The energy of the Moon Shadow Cultivation Method was dark and crimson.
In contrast, the energy of the Heavenly Maiden Lotus Flower Cultivation Method was a distinct peach color.
Yeon Dohwa.
Her very name was derived from the color of that energy.
"What is going on...?"
Dean Gran had also noticed the commotion.
Although the jamming effect from Yeon Dohwa's item was still active, he had managed to establish communication using an enhanced relay transmitter that was immune to the interference.
Currently, the Main Building was under a Level 3 Alert.
He had already dispatched forces suitable for the situation to the basement, the source of the disturbance.
'There are two intruders causing the chaos... One is Dan Jua, whom we had captured. That has already been confirmed.'
But as for the other one...
Their identity remained completely unknown.
The mechanical soldiers could not perceive them at all.
They appeared only as a blurry silhouette on the surveillance footage.
Even if a biological unit saw them with their own eyes, the moment they tried to transmit the information and records, the data degraded into unreadable noise.
'The jamming technology, too... This is clearly not the technology of the humans in this world.'
'The only person capable of such a thing is...'
A face flashed in Dean Gran's mind.
But he quickly dismissed the thought.
It was impossible.
"I must see this with my own eyes."
Dean Gran turned off the screen and began preparing to head down himself.
Our breakthrough was going smoothly.
If we had to avoid destroying things, it would have been tricky, but since we were free to slash and smash, the targets were trivial.
"...! Lady Jua, are you alright?!" I called out.
Before I knew it, the enemy forces had multiplied.
I had been separated from Lady Jua.
Through the clashing of blades echoing from a short distance away, I thought I heard her voice shout, "I am fine!"
'All the mechanical soldiers are heading toward Lady Jua...!'
It was likely because of the innerwear I was wearing.
Since the mechanical soldiers couldn't perceive me, they naturally swarmed toward Lady Jua.
I hesitated for a brief moment.
Then, I grabbed the clothes I was wearing and ripped them right off.
My naked body was completely exposed.
Instantly, the mechanical soldiers that had been ignoring me ground to a halt.
They began to perceive me, falling into apparent confusion.
But the moment I attacked them, they began to lunge at me as well.
Protecting women.
Protecting the weak.
That was the chivalry I had learned.
The mission and duty my Master had instilled in me.
Nothing took priority over that.
So...
Showing a bit of skin didn't matter at all!
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaah!!"
My swinging sword drew the image of a lotus blooming in the sky.
A moment later, amidst the fluttering pink sword qi, the mechanical soldiers and chimeras were sliced into pieces and collapsed.
